Bruce Springsteen delivered stinging criticism of the Trump administration at the opening show of his British tour, accusing its officials of authoritarianism, rolling back civil rights and illegal deportations.
Springsteen, 75, a prominent liberal who has long supported Democratic presidential candidates including former Vice President Kamala Harris, made the remarks at a concert in Manchester, England, on Wednesday that was the first in his “Land of Hope and Dreams” tour.
“The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ’n’ roll in dangerous times,” he said to roars from the crowd.
“In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.”
Springsteen then asked supporters of democracy to “raise your voices against authoritarianism and let freedom ring!” before beginning the show.
Later in the performance, he described what he saw happening in the United States under President Donald Trump.
“They are persecuting people for using their right to free speech and voicing their dissent,” Springsteen said in his remarks, a transcript and video of which were later posted on his website and YouTube channel.
He also accused the Trump administration of “abandoning the world’s poorest children to sickness and death” and “taking sadistic pleasure in the pain that they inflict on loyal American workers.”
“They’re rolling back historic civil rights legislation that led to a more just and plural society,” Springsteen said. “They’re abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators against those struggling for their freedom.”
“They’re defunding American universities that won’t bow down to their ideological demands. They’re removing residents off American streets and, without due process of law, are deporting them to foreign detention centers and prisons.”
Springsteen also said most elected representatives had failed to protect Americans “from the abuses of an unfit president and a rogue government.”
Still, he said, “The America that I’ve sung to you about for 50 years is real, and regardless of its faults is a great country with a great people.”
“So we’ll survive this moment,” he added.
The White House said in a statement that “the 77 million Americans that elected President Trump disagree with elitist and out-of-touch celebrities like Bruce Springsteen. Bruce is welcome to stay overseas while hardworking Americans enjoy a secure border and cooling inflation thanks to President Trump.”
This is not the first time Springsteen has publicly criticized Trump, calling him “a flagrant toxic narcissist” before his election in 2016.
Springsteen is known for albums that celebrate and critically examine American ideals, most notably his 1984 album “Born in the U.S.A.,” in which he criticized the Vietnam War and the subsequent treatment of American veterans.
He is set to debut 83 previously unreleased songs in late June, 74 of which have never been heard before by the public.
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